


Home

by Sehrezad



Series: Life in the Alpha Quadrant [3]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:00:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23948056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sehrezad/pseuds/Sehrezad
Summary: Another companion piece to "Respite" and "Healing". A glimpse into the life of Chakotay and Seven in the Alpha Quadrant. Happy times ahead! And there are familiar faces as well. C/7, P/T
Relationships: Chakotay/Seven of Nine, Tom Paris/B'Elanna Torres
Series: Life in the Alpha Quadrant [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1694623
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	Home

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

**2381**

Chakotay looked behind his back with an amused laugh on his lips as Soona' pulled him forward by the hand, squealing excitedly at the prospect of catching a glimpse of the squirrel-like creature which had just run off of the dirt road they were walking on. After a quick look at Seven and Naran, who were following them at a more leisurely pace, he turned back to the eight-year-old in front of him as they came to a stop by the tree line. Of course, there was no sign of the scared off little animal but Soona' didn't give up looking for it. She was unfailingly calling to it. He shook his head with a smile then turned his attention back to the couple strolling towards them.

They'd been back to the Alpha Quadrant for almost 18 months now but his breath still caught in his throat when he looked at Seven. She was walking in a manner that went for carefree in her case, her eyes wandering around the scenery. The relaxed air around her was further reinforced by her casual attire, her loose-fitting cotton pants and simple pink top complementing her wavy hair, which was in a loose ponytail.

It showed perfectly how their lives had changed ever since they left Earth for a, hopefully, peaceful colonial life.

It was reassuring to see that, despite still looking for her place in the world, colonial life did good to his wife. She looked healthier than ever before. The weight she had lost during those dark months slowly crept back up and her pale skin tanned under the warm sun she so much enjoyed. As much as she loved the stars, she flourished under the blue sky.

It wasn't work which defined her days anymore. Well, it wasn't her work and her supposed effectiveness through which she defined herself.

While he took up woodworking and opened a little workshop with a couple of other men in town, Seven was taking her time to commit to any profession.

For the time being, she seemed to be content with helping out where she was needed. She enjoyed spending time in Tom's vehicle repair shop, for example, or helping B'Elanna with the odd jobs around town. The Doctor also utilized her expertise but she was reluctant to commit working with him full time. He knew she was talking with Olia, the de facto leader of the town, about optimizing their trade and making the town more dependent on its own agriculture.

Well, Chakotay had just the idea.

When Seven and Naran stopped by them, Seven raised an eyebrow, drawing his attention to his staring. He gave her a goofy grin before pulling her into a kiss. Well, sue him.

He could hear the kids in the background as they bickered about scaring the squirrel.

"Having fun?" he asked Seven as he took her hand, sneaking his fingers between hers, and they started to walk again.

"This is an enjoyable activity," she allowed. He grinned.

"There is a pond behind the trees down the road," he called to the children. "There might be some water birds around," he suggested. The kids ran off excitedly, the adults following at a more sedate pace.

As the trees next to the road became scarcer, a large meadow area opened up in front of them. And there was indeed a pond behind the trees. The grassy plain was only broken by two rows of trees not far from the pond. The trees were obviously planted there for decorative reasons as they lined the two sides of another dirt road, leading into the heart of the meadow. The trees they had passed formed a forest which covered the hill they had just crossed, coming from the town, and the forest seemed to surround the grassy field on the left and from behind where it steeped in the distance and gave place for another hill on the far right side of the meadow, providing an ample grassy plain in between.

"This is beautiful," Seven breathed next to Chakotay and he smiled at her indulgently, remembering a time when she would have discarded the scenery as irrelevant. It seemed a lifetime ago.

"It really is," he agreed. "Come on," he squeezed her hand. "We are here."

"Are we visiting someone? It seems like someone's property."

"It is," he replied, leading her towards the house that stood on the other side of the grassy field that awaited them at the end of the row of flowering trees.

The house itself was unassuming. It wasn't big by any means but it had a fairly spacious ground floor and a smaller first floor. It had a porch through the length of its front and there was another one on the back which, he was sure, he could enlarge into a comfortable terrace.

On the left of the road, behind the pond, there was an enclosed area where the previous owner must have pastured animals. There was a majestic oak tree by the fence. On the right side of the main building, there stood a small guest house behind which the roof of a large barn could be seen. He knew that there were more outer buildings further ahead but they weren't visible.

"It seems abandoned," Seven observed, confusion coloring her voice as they got closer to the house.

"It is," Chakotay agreed. And, indeed, all the buildings needed some doing up but Chakotay could just imagine how it could look when done. The log siding of the main building needed a new coat of stain, just like all the woodwork inside, and it needed new windows and doors as well. But the roof was good and it was structurally sound. It would be beautiful.

"Chakotay?" He looked at her sheepishly, suddenly feeling nervous, which was stupid because he knew that she'd love it as much as he. And yet... "What did you do?"

"Well… I kind of… bought the place."

"You bought a house?" she asked and, to his relief, she seemed more astonished than annoyed. And, of course, that was the moment when the kids ran back to them.

"You bought a house?" Soona' echoed her aunt's question with her perpetual excitement.

"Well, not yet," Chakotay amended. "But if you all like it, it's ours."

"I like it," Soona' replied without missing a beat.

"What about taking a look at it first?" Chakotay suggested, stealing a look at Seven, who nodded in agreement. The kids ran off again and all but burst into the house as soon as Chakotay opened the door. They stepped into a foyer from which a flight of stairs led up to the upper floor. The kids promptly disappeared there, accompanied by various exclamations of excitement. Seven's eyes examined the place with interested curiosity.

"So," Chakotay started, "there is the master bedroom on the left with a bathroom and a walk-in closet. Come," he pulled her into the room. "It has its own fireplace as well," he beamed as they came face to face with said fireplace as soon as they entered the room. "It's well lit, even the bathroom has multiple windows. Speaking of which," he turned, giving only a chance for Seven to peek into the bathroom before she had to follow him. They crossed the foyer and a smaller room which opened on the right, then stepped into a spacious living room which made up the rest of the ground floor and had windows looking at the front and the backyard as well. "Look," he turned to his wife with childlike excitement. "It's perfect, right?" he asked, knowing well enough that Seven didn't feel comfortable in their crammed apartment. "The windows make it look even more spacious. And it's not even the best part. Come." Seven obligingly let him pull her into the open area that stood behind the foyer and the room in the front. The kitchen was also spacious, opened on one side and lit by natural light through the large windows on the backside of the house. It was a far cry from the kitchenette they had in the apartment. "It will be your dream kitchen," he turned to her, still holding her hand, to press a kiss on her lips. "Whatever you want, I'll make it." He pecked her again then, promptly, turned and walked away, missing the ghost of an amused smile on his wife's lips.

He led them through the door that opened to the back porch, the kids storming out right behind them, claiming that they had already chosen their own rooms upstairs.

"There are two rooms upstairs," Chakotay told Seven as the kids disappeared towards the barn. "But I'm sure we can enlarge the upper floor with one or two rooms at least so that Icheb may have a room as well. There, you see?" he indicated to the left side of the house. "We can enlarge the porch behind our bathroom and pull another floor above it to add to the upper floor. And see? There are two barns," he turned his attention to the other side of the house. "I could set up shop in one of them. We could even make a lumber farm out of this place. It's huge. And I just know a man for the job. And we could grow our own vegetables, fruits, maybe even more. I know you want to be self-reliant. And together with the other families, we have a good chance of being so. There is plenty of place for anything here. Whatever you'd like. We could make it work. We could make our home here. Just imagine… What?" he asked when, finally, he realized that she'd been giving him a bemused look without saying anything about the place.

"You are babbling," she informed him, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Oh," Chakotay stopped for a moment. "Sorry. I guess I'm just excited," he offered.

"You really want this," Seven observed with a fond smile. Well, he was hardly subtle about it.

"Only if you want this," Chakotay reassured her.

"I do," she nodded. "I would love to have our own home, not relying on Rozene's kindness. And this is perfect."

"Then," he smiled, pulling her close and pressing a kiss on her smiling lips, "welcome home, darling."

And the kids bounced back, claiming that they should really start their picnic now because they were starving.

* * *

**2383**

"So, Icheb is coming today, right?" Tom asked, looking up from his task of preparing the burger patties when Seven joined him with the bowl that contained the dough for the buns.

"Yes," she nodded. "Artur and Rozene are picking him up on their way here," she informed the man, referring to Chakotay's cousin and her husband.

"Great. You know, we should really make this get together to celebrate his promotion."

"We may congratulate him on his promotion to lieutenant," she agreed. "However, I am sure that any excessive celebration would make him uncomfortable."

"Make whom what uncomfortable?" Olia, Michael Alaya's wife appeared, carrying a bowl of freshly picked strawberries. "I'm all for it." She grinned mischievously. Tom laughed out while Seven smiled.

"We were talking about Icheb," Seven informed her, knowing that the woman had a soft spot for the young man.

"Too bad," she scrunched up her nose. "I wouldn't embarrass poor lad."

"Are those for the pie," Seven indicated the bowl her Bajoran friend had just deposited on the table.

"At least what I could save from the little locusts on my heels," Olia regarded the fruit critically. "Those girls are savages."

"Little red savages from the looks of it," Tom observed, amused as B'Elanna joined them with Miral in her arms.

"Who let the kids into the strawberry patch?" she inquired sternly before turning to Seven with an apologetic look. "Sorry, Seven."

"That is all right… if they didn't over-indulge," she added, regarding the two other culprits, standing strategically hidden behind the half-Klingon.

"We didn't, I promise, Auntie," Soona' supplied while Halleen was nodding enthusiastically next to her friend.

Olia looked at her youngest. "We'll see. But no pie for those who don't eat their lunch." The girls' faces fell. "That's what I thought. All right, off with you and clean up," she dismissed the girls with an amused laugh which belied her previous stern voice.

"I'll go with them," B'Elanna offered and left with Miral, who needed a good scrub, too.

"Well, that's really unfortunate with the strawberry patch and all but," Tom cut in after the kids left, "I'd be more worried about your cider cellar, sister. I really hope those are not last year's brew," he indicated Chakotay and Michael, who were sitting by one of the tables a little distance away, chatting amiably over a bottle of cider.

"Hey, guys," Olia suddenly called to the two men. Alaya waved back to his wife with a pleasant smile. Olia huffed. "Are you going to actually help us, or are you content with just sitting on your lazy asses until lunch?" Alaya promptly jumped to his feet with a chastised look while Chakotay took his time getting up. However, his expression turned apprehensive, too, when Olia strode towards them.

"No wonder Alaya was so eager to get back to the Alpha Quadrant," Tom remarked with a laugh. "Olia would have come after us if we stayed any longer and kicked his sorry ass back here."

"That is probably true," Seven agreed, amused at the men's reaction to the Bajoran woman. "How is B'Elanna doing?" Turning her attention back to the man, Seven inquired, referring to her friend's pregnancy which surprised everybody, including the future parents.

"Surprisingly fine. I feared bodily harm for a little while but I have to tell you Seven, out of the two of them, it was the Doctor who was more surprised. If you ask me, B'Elanna seemed kind of smug. She said that she was beating the odds with a bat'leth."

"There is, indeed, truth in that," she agreed with a small smile, feeling guilty that sadness overshadowed her happiness for her friends.

A little body barreling into her snapped her out of her thoughts and a sincere smile broke out on her face when her gaze met with Soona''s dark eyes, shining with merriment as the girl hugged her around the waist. There was no need for regret and sorrow when she was blessed with a wonderful family, she thought as she brought her arms around the girl's slender shoulders.

"May I join?" Chakotay appeared by the pair and Soona' enthusiastically brought him into the fold. "Hi," he grinned at Seven before pecking her lips.

"Hi," she smiled happily.

"Eww," Tom's distraught voice reached their ears, "you are disgustingly cute." He winced, turning back to the burger meat. Soona' giggled.

"I escaped Olia's wrath by promising to come and help you," he informed his wife. "So, how may I help?"

"You may check the fire in the oven. I'm ready to make the buns."

"On it." With that, Chakotay went on his way.

"Can I help, too?" The little girl left her embrace and looked up at her aunt with shining eyes.

While Tom was complaining about the existence of veggie burger and warning Chakotay that next time, he'd be on his own if he insisted on eating those abominations, Seven and Soona' set to make the buns. When a baking pan was filled with buns, Seven regarded it with critical eyes, noting with a resigned shake of her head and a small smile that they lacked the required form of a burger bun. Soona', on the other hand, looked at them proudly with the knowledge of a work well done. Looking at her niece, Seven had to concede that perfection, in the present case, was irrelevant.

"Auntie?" Soona' looked up at her. "Can we make milk loaf, too?"

Seven smiled and stepped behind Soona', sneaking one arm around her and pulling her against her. She leaned down to whisper into her ear. "It's already raising in the kitchen." She couldn't help but grin at her excited intake of breath. "Go and check on it."

Seven turned back to the rest of the dough with a smile after Soona' sprinted towards the house.

As soon as the spicy smell of the burger patties could be smelled around the house, Naran and Alaya's boys, Mik and Esik, started to circle around the adults preparing lunch. Tom was making some jibes about teenage boys and Seven couldn't help but agree. Looking at Naran bantering with his uncle, Seven wondered where the years had run off. She still remembered the little boy who had clung to her wherever they were and how she cherished his tactile affection. She found it difficult to adjust to their changing relationship as the boy was stepping into his late teens. However, fortunately, there were still moments when he was willing to express his affections. Even if it was for altruistic reasons, Seven noted wryly, as the boy appeared behind her while she was cutting the vegetable. He sneaked his arms around her and peered over her shoulder, no doubt with a look Chakotay used to refer to as 'puppy dog eyes'.

"Begging is futile," she told him in a flat tone, not really trying to hide the smile she was wearing. "We will eat when everybody arrives."

"You're heartless, Auntie," Naran sighed, letting her go with a disappointed pout.

"Here," she told him, pressing the knife into his hand, "distract your starving self by dicing these cucumbers. I have to check on the oven," and with that, she turned to leave but not before giving further instructions. "The pieces should be approximately ¼ inch wide."

"Great," Naran huffed but got to the dicing nonetheless.

"Look on the bright side," Tom chuckled. "The others are stuck with peeling potato," he grimaced into the general direction where Mik and Esik were busy at work.

"Lucky me," Naran rolled his eyes.

Much to the teenagers' relief, the rest of the crowd arrived shortly after. Friends and family were bantering good-naturedly while the younger children were running around, squealing merrily. Even the older boys forgot about the food for a while when Artur and Rozene arrived with their three children. Neyala, their daughter, quickly joined Soona' and Halleen while the boys Brayan and Nakai greeted the other three teenagers with handshakes and half-hugs.

All this lively activity faded into the background for Seven, however, when she spotted Icheb exiting the car behind the family. He seemed odd, somehow. She hadn't seen him so awkward since he joined the Academy. He still wasn't a social butterfly but he found a place among the young cadets and, just like her, albeit more tentatively, he was finding his footing in society. Yet, at the moment, he reminded her so much of the awkward teenager on Voyager

"Go," Rozene's gentle voice pulled her out of her disturbing thoughts. She didn't sound worried and yet, Seven was apprehensive as she walked up to the car with Chakotay on her heels.

"Seven," Icheb greeted her with a curt nod. "Chakotay."

"Icheb, is everything all right?"

"Yes, everything is fine. I just find it difficult to… I don't want you to…" It was really getting worrying. Icheb never stammered. He sighed and Seven exchanged a concerned look with Chakotay, who put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I want you to meet someone," Icheb finally confessed.

Seven was sure that Chakotay felt the relief wash over her. So, that was it. Icheb brought a girl home. She was so happy. And nervous. And curious. And happy.

However, when, instead of motioning for the girl to exit the car, Icheb leaned in and started fidgeting with something, she once again exchanged a look with Chakotay. This time, however, their eyes were confused. Then Icheb reappeared, holding a small bundle, and she heard a surprised gasp leave her lips.

"Seven, Chakotay, this is Dorian," he indicated the bundle with a small smile. "My son."

Seven walked up to the young man and peered over the blanket. "It's a baby," she breathed and immediately felt foolish. Chakotay chuckled, as he, too, walked up to them.

"Congratulations, son," he beamed at Icheb. Seven couldn't take her eyes off of the baby.

"Do you want to hold him?" Icheb asked and moved to place Dorian into Seven's waiting arms.

"He is perfect, Icheb," Seven smiled, finally looking up at him. "I am happy for you."

Icheb bowed his head in silent acknowledgment, visibly relieved at the others' reaction, then all eyes turned back to the baby.

"Icheb," Chakotay started carefully after a while, "where is Dorian's mother?"

"She does not wish to be involved in the child's life," he informed them matter-of-factly.

Chakotay nodded in acknowledgment.

"And what are your intentions?" he pressed on.

"I do not wish to give up my parental responsibility. However, I am aware of my limitations and I do know that I am not capable of sufficiently looking after him."

"You want us to care for him?" Seven looked at him.

Icheb bowed his head in affirmation. "I am sure you will be capable caregivers for the child. You can give him a home I cannot at the moment."

Seven and Chakotay shared a look before turning back to the young man.

"If that is your wish," Seven started, "we will take care of your son."

"Thank you."

"You know," Chakotay started with an amused expression, "we had a hard enough time dissuading everybody to make a big deal about your promotion. We can't bear responsibility for whatever happens when they meet the little guy."

"Understood."

True enough, everybody present got overly excited when they walked back to them to introduce Dorian to family and friends. There was a lot of cooing and a lot of hugging. But, to his credit, Icheb took it in stride, no doubt, relieved beyond measure that his son's future was now secured.

"Well, I'll be damned, Seven," Tom beamed at the woman. "You are a grandma now."

"A grandma?" Seven arched a metallic eyebrow as she looked down at the infant in her arms.

"It makes sense," Chakotay shrugged with a warm smile.

"That is… acceptable."

"You don't do anything slowly, do you?" B'Elanna quipped, shaking her head.

* * *

First, Seven didn't know what had woken her but she quickly realized that it was the sound of a baby crying. It took another couple of seconds for her foggy mind to realize that it was Dorian crying. She listened for a little while and when she heard Icheb's shuffling in his room, she burrowed back into Chakotay's side and let his even breathing lull her back to sleep.

It was strange hearing baby cry in the house. The last time she had to wake up in the middle of the night for soothing a wailing infant was when Miral was still a toddler and her parents left her with them when they needed a night off. Those were challenging nights. Although Chakotay was a heavy sleeper, even he was roused by the little Klingon's war cries. And, of course, she was used to waking up to Naran's soft crying when the boy was woken by nightmares back when the children moved in with them. Well, they'd have time to get used to yet another tiny individual demanding attention in the middle of the night.

She was on the verge of falling back to sleep when something reminded her that Dorian was still crying. Concerned, she entangled herself from Chakotay's arms and, donning a bathrobe, she went to check on Icheb.

"I am sorry," Icheb said as soon as he saw her stepping into the room. Seven gave him an encouraging smile. "I did everything the collected data indicated but he would not cease crying."

Seven reached out to take the baby and Icheb was relieved to hand him over. He looked positively dismayed. "Did you burp him?"

"Yes. So, be careful where you step. For some reason, babies are likely to burp up most of the consumed nutrients." True enough, there were suspicious spots on the floor, Seven noted.

"Let's try something else then." She gently placed the baby on her shoulder and started pacing in the room, softly humming as she soothingly massaged his back. Her soft humming slowly turned into words and, soon, she was singing a lullaby she had learnt for similar occasions.

When Dorian's cry subsided and sleep began to claim him, Seven slowly sat down on Icheb's bed and adjusted her hold on the baby so that she could cradle him in her arms.

"There you are," she whispered and watched in awe as the boy's eyes closed after a healthy yawn. "Sweat dreams, little one."

"I must apologize, Seven," Icheb started gravely when silence settled on the room.

"For what?"

"I find myself unsure of my decision regarding Dorian."

"You do not wish us to care for your son anymore?"

"That is not what I meant," he gave her a small smile. "I know that this is the best place for him. However, I can see why my decision puts undue burden on your shoulders. Is it not unfair of me to burden you with something that I admittedly cannot bear? I am very well aware that I am asking you to adapt to the chaos that caring for a baby will entail. This," he looked around the messy room, his eyes finally settling on his sleeping child in Seven's arms, "this will be your life while I am out in space living the life I chose."

"I came to accept that chaos is part of our lives," Seven reassured the young man. "I find it comforting because it means that there are people in our lives. People who are important to us and for whom we are important. Family. Like you. We love you, Icheb. And if you are bringing a little more chaos into our lives, we are ready to face it. As always, we will adapt."

"Thank you."

"But there is something else that bothers you."

"I am scared for the child," Icheb admitted. "I always wondered why it was only you whom Starfleet detained." That was really not the word for what they did to Seven. "And I finally concluded that my Borg technology could simply not offer more information than which I had provided. And, after the trial and their public apology, I assumed that it was over. They realized that what they had done was wrong and made sure that such atrocity would not repeat itself." It was a naïve thought, Seven thought bitterly. "But with Dorian here, I once again find myself wondering." But then again, maybe, Icheb knew that as well. "He is a unique child. Nobody can know about him."

"What about his mother?"

"She is aware of the risks concerning Dorian's unique physiology. She is not in his life because she does not care but because she cannot care. She is… emotionally impaired. She feels no emotional attachment to her child." Icheb must have seen the question in her eyes because he continued on a different note. "Dorian's conception was the result of our combined curiosity. It was not meant to be more than an experiment."

Seven gave him an understanding smile. "That's all right, sweetheart," she reached out to squeeze his hand.

"In any case," he resumed the thread of the conversation, still awkward with openly expressed emotions, "she would never hurt him."

Seven nodded.

"Dorian will be safe here," she gave his hand another squeez. His grandparents will make sure of that."

**THE END**

_Thanks for reading, guys!_


End file.
